I’m still reeling from a busy, busy weekend, during which I threw a birthday party for my son, visited with family, ate, drank, drank and ate, went shopping with my mother (of course we hit a yarn store) and just plain had fun. As soon as I have a chance to catch my breath and upload some photos, I’ll write about all the mischief we got up to.

In the meantime, I wanted to say “thank you” to my secret pal who sent me a beautiful package full of handmade stitch markers and earrings. For the stitch markers, she used beads that match the colors of my website. Isn’t that sweet?

The earrings are really pretty. I haven’t worn earrings very much lately because I’ve had trouble with my kids yanking on them (ouch! How do other mothers of small children manage this???), but this gift will certainly give me a reason to start wearing them again.

Thank you, secret pal, for the beautiful gift!!

The hordes of guests we’ll be having this week are starting to arrive. My parents showed up at our house yesterday evening. We were all really glad to see them.

Sam went into high performance mode for “gramma” and “papa.” He took out every one of his toys from the toy box and made sure that everyone saw and appreciated them.

“Yes, that’s a drum. You’re doing a great job playing the drum! Yes, that’s a choo choo. Oh, yes, what a nice, ummm…tower? No, you say it’s a spaceship? Oh, okay, I see that now. You sure built a great spaceship with with your Legos…” Grandparents are much more willing to engage in this endless banter than we parents are. Sam loved the attention!

They were also very taken with Claire, who did a lot of smiling and giggling for everyone. I know they’re just trying to tell me that they think she’s cute, but if one more person comments on how pudgy she is now (she has several chins and dimples in her elbows and knees–I think it’s cute!) I’m not going to be held responsible for my actions. After the struggle we had trying to get her to eat in the beginning, I’m glad she’s a wee bit on the chubby side. What can I say, the kid likes to eat:

As you can see, she’s not so thrilled with Sam’s ministrations (it’s kind of hard to enjoy your food when someone’s grabbing your nose):

A couple of months ago, Mom and I made a deal to make bags for one another. She really wanted a felted bag, so I created this for her. I was happy with how it turned out. The button adds such a nice touch to it! However, I’m convinced that I got the better end of the bargain. Look at what she made me:

Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s lined with pockets and has a little “humbug” bag attached to the inside, in which I can store my scissors. (I thought I uploaded a picture of the humbug bag, but it has gone AWOL.) But that’s not all…inside the bag were all of these wonderful goodies:

Susanna Hanson, who taught the finishing class I took recently, had highly recommended The Principles of Knitting by June Hiatt. I was dying to get my hands on a copy, but thought it would never happen since the book is out of print and sells for unbelievably high prices on ebay and elsewhere. It just so happens that my mother had the book in her collection and didn’t want it anymore, so she gave it to me. Wow. I’m such a lucky girl! (I tried to convince her to sell the book and use the proceeds for buying souvenirs on her next trip to Italy, but she wouldn’t hear of it–see how noble I am? More to the point, see how generous she is???)

The other gifts are great too. She included a Fiber Trends pattern for felted teddy bears, which look like a lot of fun to make. Finally, she gave me a copy of Domino Knitting and some linen yarn with the request that I make one of the “vases” described inside the book. That will be an interesting project, to say the least. Of course, I’m happy to oblige her!

The Secret Pal 2 Exchange is underway and I’m very excited about it. I’ve started plotting some surprises for my pal. I had a flash of inspiration this morning when I came up with the idea of sending her the flower washcloth I had knitted along with some pretty handmade bars of soap, but after reading her site a little more closely, I realized she had already made one of those washcloths for herself, so that would be a lame gift. (I should have known better–almost everyone who knits has made at least one of those flower washcloths from Weekend Knits and IK.) It’s difficult picking out things for someone you don’t know well! (Heck, it’s difficult even when you know someone well. My husband, brother and father are IMPOSSIBLE to shop for!) The process of getting to know them better is a lot of fun, though. I’m hoping I have an even more brilliant flash of inspiration soon so I can surprise her with something fun in the mail.

While pondering how difficult it is to get to know someone when your ability to communicate with them is limited to an anonymous exchange, I came across a couple of great entries by two other participants in the Secret Pal exchange. Amy and Lynn posted a list of what they like and dislike with a special emphasis on knitting. Their posts are fun to read even if you’re not their secret pal, hunting for clues about what makes them tick. I thought I’d try my hand at creating a similar list, so here goes:

While I can appreciate the beauty of earth tones, I cannot wear them. They make me look mousey. I think I look better in jewel tones like deep purples, reds and greens. Since the birth of my daughter, I have also been drawn to pink, particularly mauve and raspberry pink–NOT Easter egg pink. I also like kiwi/lime green and blues of all shades.

I have mixed feelings about knitting for children. So far, I haven’t had much luck getting my son to wear the things I’ve made for him. They usually end up in a heap in the middle of the floor. Claire is still in the continual spitting up phase, so I’m not that excited about dressing her in hand-knitted garments, unless they’re hats or booties.

I’m full of contradictions. Despite what I wrote above, I’m currently knitting sweaters for both of my kids.

I collect Rowan pattern books. My favorite Rowan designer is Kim Hargreaves.

In the latest Interweave Knits, Jo Sharp stated that most knitters shy away from difficult techniques and prefer simple designs knit with luxury yarns. This doesn’t exactly apply to me. I like luxurious yarns (and am a self-professed yarn snob), but I’m constantly pushing myself to learn new things. Right now, I’m trying to learn intarsia. This fall, I will start my first Fair-Isle sweater and I want to try lace knitting as well.

Speaking of lace knitting, I can’t wait to get my hands on some Kid Silk Haze. While knitting Elfin, I developed an appreciation for the yarn. Very soft, very lovely.

I LOVE hand painted yarns (like Koigu and Lorna’s Laces) and self-striping yarns (like Noro Silk Garden and Kureyon). I’ve had my fill of self-patterning sock yarn, though.

I am a coffee addict, but have restricted myself to decaf. :coffee:

I am a chocoholic, and while I’ve been known to consume baker’s chocolate in a moment of desperation, I prefer the sweetened dark chocolate kind :m-m:

I prefer subtle scents like lavendar. Many perfumes make me sneeze and my eyes water–this includes the “perfumes” in soaps.

I am a bag lady. I love bags of all sorts. :purse:

I think felting is a magical process. I’m convinced that you can’t have too many felted bags. Or hats. Or slippers.